Recent Advance in Sensitive Detection of Demethylase FTO

Abstract

Methylation modification is a critical regulatory mechanism in epigenetics and plays a significant role in various biological processes. N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is the most common modification found in RNA. The fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) facilitate the demethylation of m⁶A in RNA, and its abnormal expression is closely linked to the development of several diseases. As a result, FTO has the potential to serve as an important biomarker for clinical disease diagnosis. Despite its significance, there has been a lack of comprehensive reviews addressing advancements in detection methods for the demethylase FTO. This review provides an overview of the progress in FTO detection methods, ranging from traditional approaches to innovative techniques, with a particular emphasis on recently reported advancements. These novel detection methods can be categorized into strategies based on enzymes, functional nucleic acids (FNA), and conformational changes. We summarize the principles and applications of these detection methods and discuss the current challenges and prospects in this field.

Keywords: FTO; N6-methyladenosine; demethylase; detection; epigenetic modification.